Jeff Popek

Government by the People

You can only have a government by the people if the people make their voices heard!

Update:

On 01/21/2010, the supreme court lifted restrictions on what corporations and labor organizations may invest to sway voters in federal elections, effectively signing a death warrant for Democracy. If no action is taken against this, your voice will be drowned out.

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD NOW

Write your Senators and Representatives in Washington DC and ask them to declare that the first amendment was written for individuals and not for any association or organization. This could require a re-write of the 1st Amendment or an additional amendment to the Constitution but would solve problems 1 and 3 listed on this page.

NOTE: There is an organized campaign to amend the constitution at Move to Amend

If the 1st Amendment guaranteeing the Freedom of Speech was meant to protect associations, there would be no need to add Freedom of the Press, as that association would already be protected by the Freedom of Speech.

Why America is headed in the Wrong Direction

Problem 1:

It seems that our representatives in Washington listen more to lobbyists than to their constituents.

Solution 1:

Ban all lobbying activities. The 1st Amendment of the Constitution provides people the right "to petition the Government for a redress of grievances". If does not grant that right to lobbyists and Political Action Committees (PACs). With phone, postal mail, e-mail and other communication methods via the internet, it is easy enough for people to make their voices heard without any need for lobbyists and PACs who represent special interests only.

Problem 2:

Misleading statements and advertising by politicians, large corporations and organizations can sway popular opinion. This may result in a person supporting legislation or candidates based on lies or half-truths. Legislation and representation based on lies & half-truths will harm us all and will over time ruin our democracy, if it has not done so already.

Solution 2:

All political and other advertisements that can sway popular opinion regarding legislative acts or political candidates should be checked for fact and the advertising be forced to be perfectly clear as to what is being stated. Tasked with this should be an organization of logicians elected by the people.

Problem 3:

The influence of Campaign Contributions

Solution 3:

Prohibit contributions from all businesses and organizations. To put all candidates on a level playing field and eliminate the influence of campaign contributions, give each candidate a fixed dollar amount from taxes. If a candidate wishes to avoid spending tax dollars, allow contributions from individuals, but limit an individual's contribution to some small amount (eg - $100). Limit total contributions to the amount that would have been provided by tax dollars. If individual contributions fall short of that amount, make up the difference with tax dollars. Offer a single free internet site for all candidates to post their positions and arguments, subject to fact/clarity checking as provided in Solution 2.

If we can't afford tax dollars, just limit the total amounts and limit contributions to individuals only; limit an individuals contribution to some small amount.

In any case, we need to eliminate "Pay to Play" as standard operating procedure.